The Affordable Care Act gives people who’ve been stuck with sky-high premiums because of preexisting conditions the chance to get affordable insurance for the first time.
Insurance companies can no longer deny you coverage just because you have a preexisting condition, and they now have to cover free preventive care like checkups and mammograms.
The women have a lot of pre-existing conditions, whether it's high blood pressure, asthma, obesity which also contributes... they just may not be in as good health.
There’s a lot that goes into why someone may be affected more or less by a virus, but the elderly and people with preexisting conditions tend to be hit harder.